Quiet Zone Preparations To Require Closure Of Singer Hill On Dec. 12 (Photo) -12/02/24

Preparations to create Oregon City’s first quiet zone will necessitate the closure of Singer Hill for about six hours on Thursday, Dec. 12. 

The Quiet Zone project been a City Commission Goal since 2019. The creation of a quiet zone is an expansive process requiring extensive coordination with the railroad and federal regulatory agencies. The project includes comprehensive safety improvements to crossings. Some of these improvements include four-quadrant gates that prevent vehicles from driving around barriers, raised medians and advanced warning systems. 

City staff have been undertaking some of the first steps in the process, which include ample coordination with interested agencies. Some of the first physical steps will commence on Dec. 12 when crews will conduct geotechnical investigations to assess soil conditions prior to completing the project design. 

“In order to gather the necessary soil data to advance the design of the improvements, we’ll have to close Singer Hill/10th Street from High St. to Main,” said Public Works Director Dayna Webb. “Closing roads is not something our team takes lightly, so our crews will be performing other work at the same time to prevent the need for future traffic impacts,” she said.

While the geotechnical borings are being taken, additional Public Works crews will take advantage of the closure to perform other maintenance tasks. That work will include cleaning of catch basins and storm drains, projects that would need further traffic restrictions if done at another time. 

The closure is expected to last 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Additional information on the project can be found here.